


Never too old

by Redilicious (Muizeke83)



Category: The Blacklist (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-13
Updated: 2017-02-13
Packaged: 2018-09-24 02:16:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,018
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9695336
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Muizeke83/pseuds/Redilicious
Summary: "Don't.""Why?""Because it's wrong on so many levels.""How can something so wrong, feel so right?"





	

_He was standing in a field, misty and cold, surrounded by snow. He was freezing, wearing nothing more than his suit, his jacket missing. The hair on the back of his neck rose, but he wasn’t sure if that was because of the cold or the eeriness that hung around him._  
_Suddenly the snow around him started to melt rapidly, exposing lush green grass and budding flowers. A field of red poppies unfolded before him and, as the mist cleared, golden rays of sunshine warmed his face. Squinting against the harsh light, he tried to see who the figure was that had appeared from the surrounding woods. He held his hand up to try and shield his eyes from the sun, but it was as if the approaching person emanated the same light._  
_Slowly the light faded and he could almost see who was walking towards him._  
_Wearing a long, flowing red dress, it was Elizabeth Keen in front of him. “Lizzie…” he breathed._  
_She was still enveloped in the light, almost angelic and she was smiling brightly. She motioned for him to come to her, but when he tried to take a step forward, he almost lost his balance due to his bound feet. Looking down, he noticed a long chain attached to the one on his ankles and turned around to see where it was coming from._  
_A few meters away stood Tom Keen, smiling wickedly at him, rattling the chain in his hand. His blood boiled at seeing the traitorous man and turned to him, ready to confront him._  
_An agonizing shriek stopped him dead in his tracks and he turned back around in panic._

 _They weren’t in the field anymore, but somewhere indoors. An abandoned warehouse?_  
_Liz was hooked to the ceiling by her wrists, Tom standing behind her holding a knife to her throat. He tried to move again, but this time he was strapped to the chair he was sitting in. In no way could he move his hands or feet. He tried to keep his composure, but he felt so angry, he thought he was about to explode._  
_“Let her go Tom!” he ordered calmly. Tom looked at him and smiled the same wicked smile as before._  
_“No!” Tom simply stated and pressed down a little harder with the knife, making Liz’s skin break. Blood slowly trickled down her throat._  
_He locked eyes with her and he could see her pleading to him to help her. He had to get himself loose, but how? Trying to wriggle out of his restraints, he chafed his wrists until they were bleeding, but it didn’t work._  
_He never looked away from her and saw Tom move to stand before her. With the knife, he cut open her blouse button by button until it hung open, exposing her bare flesh. He drew lines across her skin with the sharp tip, leaving thin red lines in its wake. Liz was breathing shallowy, clenching her jaw and tightening her abs to try and break contact with the knife._  
_“Tom, I swear, if you…” his words got cut short._  
_“If I what? Do this?” As Tom spoke the words, he lashed out and cut right across her abdomen. Liz cried out in agonizing pain, blood streaming out of the gaping wound._  
_“Lizzie!” he shouted and tried to force himself out of the chair, but the action made him fall face down and head first on the hard cement floor. He could feel the skin above his eye break and when he tried to look up again, blood clouded his vision._  
_Still, he was able to see how Tom took another swing with the knife and cut Liz’s throat completely. He locked eyes with her again and, even with compromised vision, he could see the despair in her eyes before they fluttered closed and she let her head fall forward._  
_“Lizzie, NOOOOO!!” he yelled, but his scream was drowned out by the hard laughter of Tom Keen._

With a jolt, he woke, the image of Lizzie etched on his retinas. Sweat covered his entire body and he was shaking like a leaf. As his daze cleared and he became aware of his surroundings, he could feel nausea overtake him and he had to move fast, already soiling his hand on the way to the bathroom.  
The sound was vile, the feeling awful as he heaved up everything that was still in his stomach. He couldn’t breathe, the gulps coming so fast, unrelenting; he felt like he was about to pass out. He managed to draw in some air, making his throat burn and causing a whole new coughing fit. It felt like every fiber within him was fighting against him as he again retched; his ribs hurting from exertion.  
When the onslaught finally ended, he sank down on the floor; all his strength gone. He was shivering uncontrollably, his muscles sore, but he just couldn’t muster up enough strength to move, so he decided to simply stay where he was; laying on the cold, marble floor of his hotel room suite. He fixed his gaze on the towel hanging just out of reach, determined to grab it as soon as his body was willing to comply again.  
Never before had he felt like this; so powerless, so vulnerable. He was getting too old for this shit. Raymond Reddington had everything in life, except a life and it was taking its toll on him.  
He pushed up on unsteady arms and reached for the towel. Very slowly, he tried to sit and wrapped the soft, luscious fabric around his still sweat-covered shoulders. He needed a few more moments before he felt slightly human again. When he stood up, he was still not as steady as he wanted, but he needed to wash the sourness out of his mouth and off of his hands and chest.  
He heard the click of the door outside and for an instant froze, his gun and strength out of reach, until he heard Dembe’s voice; “Raymond?”  
“Give me a minute.” He answered and washed himself, followed by an extra long session of brushing his teeth.  
Finally dressed, he checked himself in the mirror, straightening his jacket. He looked impeccable, as always, were it not for the dark circles under his eyes.  
_‘Too old.’_ He thought.

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He hunched down, hiding behind large wooden crates, in an abandoned warehouse, while guns are being fired all around them.  
On his left he sees Dembe aiming at someone from the other ‘team’. On the right, much to his relief, he sees Liz doing the same thing. When he shoved the bullet casing back into his weapon, he too joined the party.  
“You’re outnumbered and outgunned Red! Give it up.”  
He looked at Liz, who signaled him that back-up was two minutes out.  
“It’s endearing to hear that you assume I will give up without a fight.” He yelled back, a smile on his face.  
The harsh laughter of his opponent had Red pinpoint his whereabouts and without hesitation he stood, striding forward, knowing he was covered by Liz and Dembe. It took him three long strides in under two seconds to reach his assailant and put the gun between the man’s eyes. “I never give up.” Red growled and was about to pull the trigger when he heard Liz yelp.  
He grabbed his, now sworn, enemy and used him as a shield, still holding his aim at the man’s temple.  
“Let him go or I kill her!” the scrawny fellow threatened.  
Red looked for Dembe, but he too had been caught, appearing from behind the crates, held at gunpoint.  
“Don’t do it Red!” Liz warned, but a slight sickening feeling rose in his gut.  
“Kill her!” yelled the man he held. The scrawny guy kicked Liz in the back of her knees, making her fall hard on them and placed his gun against the back of her head.  
Red could feel his knees go weak, if only for a second, as he saw movement from the corner of his eye. Right at that moment more guns were fired; both men, holding Liz and Dembe at gunpoint, slumped down dead.  
“Impeccable timing, don’t you agree?” Red whispered close to his enemy’s ear before shooting him in the shoulder and leaving him to be dealt with by his back-up team, the Feds.

Ressler and Navabi took the man into custody, pulling him up and making him scream in agonizing pain. Red was at Liz’s side in an instant, helping her up from her bruised knees.  
“Thanks.” She offered, but he waved it off, trying to look for other injuries without her noticing.  
“Are you okay?” he finally asked when he couldn’t detect anything.  
“I’m fine, Red. Still in one piece, thank God.” She lightly touched his shoulder and he hoped she wouldn’t notice his slight trembling.  
“You give that ‘man’ too much credit, Lizzie. Thank Ressler for being on time for once.”  
“Hey!” Ressler shot back at hearing Red’s comment.  
Red had to hold himself from rolling his eyes before looking at Ressler. “My apologies. This wasn’t indeed the first time, but it doesn’t outweigh the number of times when you showed up after the curtains had already fallen.” Red kept teasing Ressler, his safety measure when feeling getting ambushed by unsettling emotions.  
Ressler huffed at him, but didn’t say anything further when he passed Red on his way out with a still wailing detainee.  
Red turned and grabbed the parcel they had come for before all hell had broken loose. He handed it to Dembe, who immediately left the scene.  
“I need to get this to a safe place as soon as possible. Will you swing by the hotel when you sign off at the Post Office tonight?” Red asked Liz, seriousness in his eyes and voice.  
“Sure.” Liz replied hesitantly, noticing, this time, some discomfort in his stance. He nodded and turned to follow Dembe out of that damned warehouse.  
As soon as he knew he was out of sight, he let out the breath he was holding and tried to breathe away the lingering remnants of the nauseating feeling in his stomach.  
_‘Too old…’_

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The room was dark and quiet. Red stood in front of the window, arms beside him and his sleeves rolled up; a glass of scotch dangling in his left hand. He hadn’t even noticed her coming in, her footsteps only now betraying her presence. He slightly turned his head and looked at her from the corner of his eye, before averting his eyes again to stare at the almost empty glass in his hand.  
“Red.” She simply said his name and his shoulders slumped.  
“I’m so tired, Lizzie.” He whispered, just loud enough for her to hear.  
She carefully took the glass from him and replaced it with her free hand, giving him a little squeeze. He closed his hand around hers and was sure she could feel him trembling. Liz moved in next to him and looked up at his face, which was barely illuminated by the light coming from outside. His eyes were closed, his jaw set. When he opened them, she could see the shimmer of unshed tears.  
“Oh Red…” The way she said his name made his stomach tighten even further and he had to swallow hard in an attempt to keep his composure. “Talk to me.”  
Her hand came up to rest on his cheek. He closed his eyes again and let out a quivering breath. His mouth curled up into a small, yet forced smile.  
“I will not burden you with my self-inflicted problems and issues. You have enough to deal with yourself.” She kept looking at him, clearly waiting for him to do or say something. “Come to think of it, the problems you have are because of me and the knowledge weighs on me heavily.”  
When he opened his eyes again, he once again hoped she wouldn’t see the hurt and shame in them.  
“It’s true that I had no choice in many of the things that have happened to me lately, but I’ve had the chance to walk away. I had the opportunity, but I didn’t take it.” She explained sincerely.  
“Why haven’t you?”  
She let go of his hand and brought hers up to cup his other cheek. She took a small step forward, pressing her body to his and looked up into his eyes.  
“Because I love you!” she admitted and tried to close the distance between them. Just before their lips met, Red stopped her by pulling away a little and grasping her wrists.  
“Don’t,” he whispered, “please.”  
“Why?” her question almost a plea.  
“Because it’s wrong on so many levels.” He grimaced at saying the words.  
“How can something so wrong, feel so right?” she persisted and it took every bit of his willpower to take a step back, letting go of her wrists and turning away from her.  
He sat down in the lounge chair, elbows on his knees, with his fingers entwined while they covered his mouth. Lizzie followed him and squatted down before him, steadying herself on his knees. His eyes were closed again, not ready to look at her, but her hand coming up to rest on his cheek startled him and when their eyes locked again, he came undone.  
His bottom lip started trembling and his vision blurred. He couldn’t stop it anymore as his emotions took over completely, making him feel both angry and ashamed. This side of him he had locked away in the deepest trenches of his being, for it was something that couldn’t be a part of his life as the Concierge of Crime.  
A single tear escaped, trailed its way down and over Liz’s hand.  
Her eyes were full of sympathy and surprise by what she saw. Raymond Reddington in a state unbeknownst to the outside world.  
She stood, briefly, before putting first one, then the other knee next to him, straddling him and enveloping him in a warm hug. Red’s hands came to rest on her thighs and he turned his head so it rested against her bosom; the steady rhythm of her heart soothing him in a way.  
She kissed the top of his head and let her lips linger there, breathing in his scent. She absently caressed his cheek her hand had never left, feeling more wetness as he cried silent tears. Being so close to her warmed him, stirring up some more feelings he thought would never come to him again. Pulling away a little, she tilted his face up and, before he could do anything about it, firmly planted her lips on his.  
Red tensed, but didn’t pull back. At first he refused to kiss her back, but her persistence broke down his defenses brick by brick and his mouth slowly complied as her tongue sought entrance. She tasted like spring, fresh and alive, and the way she held him, the way she kissed him, stirred something alive in him too.  
He had to stop this, but it was like she had said only moments before; how could something wrong feel so right. Slowly, but very carefully his hands encircled her waist, sneaking underneath her blouse. The contact of his hands on her silky skin made him feel dizzy as blood rushed from his head to other regions, more private… and she was so close to him, he wondered if she noticed the state he was getting in.  
As if she had read his mind, she suddenly shifted forward, making contact with his hardening member. They both gasped in surprise and she pulled away. Red looked at her apologetically before averting his eyes. He started to pull away his hands, but she caught them in her own, bringing them up between them.  
Instead of moving away from him, she guided his hands to her breasts, never breaking eye contact. His eyelids fluttered and he gasped breathlessly. Liz caught his lips again in a searing, wanting kiss, clearly wanting this as much as he did. She pushed him back into the chair, sadly breaking contact, to unbutton her blouse and uncovering herself for him. She reached back and unclasped her bra in one swift movement, letting it pool around her together with her blouse.  
Red was in awe. He had had his fair share of beautiful women before, but they all faded in comparison to her, his Lizzie. He softly touched the underside of her breasts with the tips of his fingers, gently tracing upwards and down again over her puckered nipples.  
Liz let her head fall back and moaned, making his erection stir to the point of discomfort in the restricting fabric of his trousers and briefs. He sat back up, looped one arm around her waist and pushed himself up and out of the chair with his free hand. Liz wrapped her legs tightly around him, making her center grind onto his hardness. Moans escaped them both and he quickly laid her down on the sofa behind him.  
He hovered over her, supporting himself on the back of the sofa, letting her undo his pants. Very slowly, very delicately, she undid his belt. Then his button and zipper, never touching him in the process. It gave him time to compose himself a little, as heated as he was at that moment.  
She pushed his trousers over his hips, revealing his silk briefs. The smirk on her face told him she hadn’t expected anything else. Red stood, letting them fall to the floor. Liz sat up too, hooked her thumbs behind the band of his briefs and swiftly pulled them down to reveal him.  
Heat spiraled through him as he watched her lick her lips at the sight of him. She leaned forward and kissed his lower abdomen, tickling his erection with her loose hair. When she looked up at him, her blue eyes were so dark with lust. Red motioned to scoot back again, but she stopped him by reaching for the buttons of his shirt. One by one she opened them until it fell open, revealing his strong chest.  
The latest gunshot wound still looked pink, not quite healed, and for a split second she was there again. Her hands bloody, him spewing up blood. She had almost lost him back then. She briefly considered that, because of his lifestyle, she could lose him still. Hating the fact that he wouldn’t know the truth about how she felt about him, she leaned back, pulling him down with her by the hem of his shirt, to just show him.  
He hovered over her again, settling on his elbows, bending down to kiss her luscious lips. Suddenly he tensed when Lizzie’s hand encircled his waist, slowly tracing upwards over his bare back. He reached for her arms, one by one, not to alarm her and pinned them above her head in one hand.  
“I want to touch you.” Her breath hot on his lips.  
“Just kiss me!” he almost ordered and pressed his hardness against the fabric covering her aching center. He left her mouth and trailed kisses over her body, licking her nipples as he passed them. He continued mapping her body, trailing a wet line with his tongue from her stomach, in and around her bellybutton, to the band of her panties. With his thumbs, he slowly pulled them down and off of her, discarding the last piece of clothing that was in the way of their lovemaking.  
With a sudden need to taste her, Red closed his mouth over her. Lizzie didn’t just taste like spring, but summer too; hot and sweet and salty. He looked up from under his lashes, watching her as she moaned, eyes closed and biting her bottom lip. Her breathing changed and the way she started tensing her muscles told him she was getting close. When he very carefully slid his thumb in her wetness, her eyes flew open and her mouth formed a perfect ‘o’.  
Liz placed one hand on her lower abdomen, the other rested on top of his head, making sure he kept doing what he was doing to her. Bolting upright, she practically screamed his name, coming so hard she pinned him painfully between her legs.  
Red eased up on his ministrations and let her ride it out, enjoying the way she looked, almost radiant in the heat of passion. The sight of her fueled the fire within him and his need ached. Lizzie must have been a mind reader, now taking lead in the situation. She pulled him up and onto the sofa again, straddling his hips the way everything had gotten set into motion.  
Without hesitation and in one fluid motion, she let him slip into her. Red’s breath caught in turn, his eyes slamming shut at the sudden sensation. She felt warm and inviting, so wet and wanting, he had to bite the inside of his lip to keep control of the situation.  
Slowly, but very deliberately she started rocking back and forth, all the while touching his stomach and chest like she had wanted to do before. Red’s hands rested high on her thighs, giving her complete control so he could just watch her and enjoy what she was doing to him.  
Her hand crept up his skin again and slipped under the shirt he had refused to shed, roaming towards his shoulder and he tensed again. Very delicately, he reached for it and brought it to his mouth, kissing first her fingertips, then her wrist and the burn mark.  
Conflicting feelings rose in his gut, taking him completely off guard. He closed his eyes, trying to block out the images that were threatening to come. The fire, little Lizzie…  
“Red.” She whispered his name. Opening his eyes, his vision was slightly blurred again and he felt her finger on his cheek, wiping away a stray tear. She had slowed, almost stopped, clearly confused by his emotions. He looked up at her lovingly.  
“Don’t stop. Make me feel.” He almost begged and wrapped his arms around her. She held him close and resumed the rhythmic motion, rubbing herself on him, taking him in completely. Red buried his face in the crook of her neck, breathing her in. His hands roamed over her back, down to her perfect ass; then up, weaving his fingers through her hair. He then grabbed a handful and pulled her head back, exposing her neck to him. Kissing, nipping and scratching her with his teeth, he noticed her breathing changed again.  
So had his and slowly he began to feel the unmistakable tingle of an oncoming orgasm. As soon as he felt her muscles close down around him, heard her say his name breathlessly, he was lost and came hard, pumping into her; his release filling her. Her name rolled off of his lips like waves rolling onto shore.

Slowly, but sadly coming down from their high, they looked at each other. It was like neither of them believed what had just happened.  
Liz smiled shyly; he looked up at her, completely in awe. This beautiful woman sitting on top of him, still harboring him, was the only one he had ever felt this way for before. She truly was his everything right now. His blessing, the balm to his broken heart, the light in his darkness. Never, in his wildest dreams, had he thought to love again so deeply, so profoundly as he loved her and to have that love reciprocated.  
Going soft again, he slipped out of her, already missing her warmth.  
“Give me a minute.” Liz excused herself to get cleaned up. Red couldn’t tear his eyes away as she strode to the bathroom, swaying her hips, knowing he was watching her.  
He quickly looked around for his discarded clothes and when spotted, picked them up to get dressed again.  
When she emerged from the bathroom, he had poured them both a glass of scotch and offered her one. Liz stood close, her still naked body pressed to his side. He wrapped his free arm around her and traced lazy circles on her hip while he took a sip from the amber liquid.  
“That was… unexpected.” She started.  
“To say the least.”  
“And amazing.” She kissed his cheek, letting her lips linger there. It had been amazing, but very confusing and Red hated the way confusion felt.  
“Let me stay, please.” She whispered against him. Without even thinking about it, he had nodded, not sure if that’s what he had wanted to do. Liz casually strolled to the bed and crawled under the covers, looking at him and motioning for him to join her. He hadn’t planned on going to bed just yet, but the thought of her curled up next to him, his arm around her, was so appealing he didn’t hesitate a second.

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They had made love that night once more and he had slept deeply, if only for a few hours. He had opened his eyes to find her still there, facing him and snoring softly; like the purring of a cat. He couldn’t remember the last time he had felt so at peace; his hand draped over her hip, her leg resting upon his thigh. He absently caressed her with his thumb and just looked at her. She was so beautiful, like her mother. He saw much of her in Liz.  
His heart ached with the thought; he still had his personal issues with the situation. This wasn’t supposed to be happening. Their relationship had evolved into something entirely different than he had ever set out for. But it felt so good being with her.  
Red knew he wasn’t good for her. He had caused chaos in her life, turned everything upside down and took more from her than he thought he was capable of giving back. In his life, there was no room for love, for lovers. There would always be danger if they knew they could get to him through her. That had been so obvious since the beginning. He couldn’t bear the thought of someone touching her, hurting her. He loved her so much; she was surely going to be his downfall.  
Very quietly he slipped out of the bed. His presence seemed instantly missed as her hand reached out to search for him. She frowned, but found his pillow and pulled it close, burying her nose into it. He watched her drift to sleep again, before disappearing into the bathroom.  
He turned on the shower and stripped naked. His reflection in the mirror caught his eye and he looked at himself. ‘Old man.’  
He stepped into the shower; his skin immediately started tingling under the hot water. He put his hands against the back wall, letting the water run over his head. He had his eyes closed and let the water shut out all sounds from outside. He needed a moment with his thoughts, desperate to sort them and get some clarity about his current state of mind, his feelings and where to go from there.  
A gush of cool air surprised him and he turned to see Liz, a horrified look on her face. Red reached out to her, but she flinched, taking a step back and covering her mouth with one hand.  
“Lizzie, wait, let me… explain.” He tried, but she was already out the door. He quickly turned off the shower and wrapped a towel around his waist, not bothering to cover himself further.  
He had expected her to be gone, but she sat on the bed, her back to him and her arms wrapped around her pulled up knees.  
“What does that mean?” she asked quietly. Red sat down next to her, leaving enough space between them as he didn’t know if she wanted to be near him.  
“Lizzie…”  
“What do those scars mean if you’re not my father?” she spoke a little harsher.  
“I was there that night of the fire. I couldn’t just…” his voice trailed off. Liz turned her head a little and looked at him from the corner of her eye, waiting for him to continue.  
“Your father was dead, your mother left. I couldn’t just… leave you…” further words escaped him, leaving them both in silence.  
The bed shifted slightly under her weight as she sat down behind him on her knees. Very carefully she placed a hand on his scarred shoulder. Red closed his eyes under her touch, a shiver running through him. When her lips joined her hands, giving him soft kisses, he almost lost it. Swallowing past the lump in his throat, he placed his hand on hers covering his shoulder.  
Liz leaned close to his ear, “You saved me.” She whispered breathlessly, and then kissed his earlobe. “I owe you my life.” She wrapped both her arms around him and buried her face into the crook of his neck. He could feel warm tears falling on his shoulder, slowly trickling down over his chest.  
“You don’t owe me anything, my sweet, sweet Lizzie.” He croaked and rested his head against hers.  
Another piece of the puzzle revealed.

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“I’ll kill her, I swear.” Tom hissed as he held a gun to Liz’s temple.  
“Calm down!” Red ordered, “Your deal is with me now. Leave her out of it this time.”  
“She’s what’s going to make sure I’m going to get what I want from you.”  
“And what is it that you want exactly?” Red was getting irritated by the younger man. He deeply regretted ever hiring him as pretty soon his loyalties had shifted. Tom was a man who chose the side of the highest bidder, greedy and therefore dangerous. He had become a liability to Red.  
“I want you dead!” Tom started smiling wickedly.  
Red saw Liz tense up, her eyes wide with terror. He hoped his calmness showed her he had things under control. While Tom had been solely concentrated on holding Liz and never letting Red out of his sight, Red had, unnoticed, scanned the room and Tom. Although the younger man appeared calm, his eyes had convinced Red otherwise. The slight tremor in the hand that held the gun was the second indication. An error would be easy to make from his part.  
Red laughed at Tom’s demand and put the first step of his plan in motion. He took two calculated steps to the right, in front of the only window in the room, which gave a blind spot on Tom’s glasses. Red very slowly reached his hand behind him, firmly grasping his weapon.  
“In spite of what you may think, I’m not the one who’s going to die today.” Red said matter of factly.  
“Then you know who is.” Tom stated and kissed the side of Liz’s face.  
Red looked directly into Liz’s eyes and cast his downward, while nodding slightly. In one swift move Liz ducked and Red fired…  
“You.” Anger present in his statement.  
Liz scrambled to her feet and rushed into the safety of Red’s arms, never looking back at her now dead ex-husband. “Oh my God, that bullet was so close, I could hear it.” She breathed heavily.  
“You’re safe now, sweetheart. It’s done.” Red soothed her and kissed her temple. “Let’s go.”  
They turned; ready to leave that part of her life, their lives, behind. They were more than ready to move forward, one less obstacle in the way.  
BANG!

 

The sound of a gun being fired was the last thing she dared to think of hearing. Red suddenly leaning heavily on her took her by surprise too and her gut clenched. Her first instinct was to grab Red’s gun, as he pulled them both to the ground, then turn awkwardly to shoot their nemesis.  
Just before the killing shot, she saw the satisfied smile on Tom’s face. Blood trickled from the wound between his eyes and he completely went limp.  
Red coughed and drew back her attention. “No, no, no, no, no… Red, open your eyes.” Liz searched for an exit wound and found it, dangerously close to his heart. He coughed again and blood dripped from his lips. He tried to open his eyes, but failed. Liz put pressure on his chest and Red winced, before passing out.  
“Stay with me, baby, please!” Liz begged and frantically searched for her phone.  
As if on cue, Dembe appeared behind her. “We have to move!” he said and shoved a burner phone into her hands. “Dial star, seven, seven!”  
Dembe grabbed Red and dragged him outside, where a running car awaited them.  
“Yes.” Answered a voice on the other end of the line. A woman.  
“It’s Red! He’s been shot!” Liz practically shouted.  
The woman remained calm. “Understood! I’ll text the coordinates immediately.” The line got cut off and before Liz could panic, she received the text message with the details for what she assumed was a safe house.  
Dembe lifted Red into the backseat. Liz jumped in too and gently placed Red’s head on her lap. She dropped the phone and put her hands on the wound again, putting as much pressure on it as possible.  
“He needs a hospital, NOW!”  
“The coordinates.” Dembe simply asked. When she hesitated, Dembe insisted, “Elizabeth!” She gave him the details and he took off, tires screeching.

 

Liz couldn’t believe what she saw. A dark, empty hangar and in the middle a clean room, filled with medical equipment. Inside were two, maybe three nurses and two surgeons, already preparing for treatment. Two of Red’s men rushed towards their car with a gurney and helped her and Dembe lift a still unconscious Red onto it.  
Suddenly Liz felt rooted to the ground, unable to move. A hand on her shoulder drew her attention.  
“He has the best team working on him.” said Mr. Kaplan. Liz just nodded and kept looking at Red. She wasn’t ready to lose him. Her heart ached at the thought. All she wanted was to leave with him and leave everything and anyone behind. A fresh start away from all the threats, enemies and death…  
Every minute that passed seemed like an eternity. Then finally the leading surgeon stepped out of the cube and addressed Mr. Kaplan. She nodded once and turned towards Liz.  
Liz held her breath, not able to read the expression on the older woman’s face. “He’s stable.” Those words were music to her ears and a sob escaped as she let out the breath she was holding.  
“Can I see him?” she almost whispered.  
“They’re finishing up; you can see him very shortly.” Mr. Kaplan said and brushed past her.  
Liz felt so relieved; she couldn’t stop the tears from falling.  
“He will be okay.” Dembe startled her.  
“We almost lost him back there. If that bullet…”  
“We didn’t.” Dembe simply stopped her. Liz looked up at him and nodded, managing a small smile. Dembe’s hand came up from behind, and placing it on her shoulder; he gave her a reassuring squeeze.

The last nurse left the cube and Liz couldn’t be by Red’s side quickly enough. He looked awfully pale, but peaceful. Liz took his hand in hers and caressed it with her thumb. The other hand, she pressed against his cheek. She needed to feel him; his warm skin, proof of him really still there with her. She felt him slightly tightening his grip and watched him struggle to open his eyes.  
“Lizzie.” He croaked.  
Liz leaned closer, “I’m right here.” She reassured him. She watched him visibly relax again and kissed the top of his head.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_

They had moved from the safety of the highly guarded hangar to a more comfortable safe house. Mr. Kaplan had arranged for a nurse, a doctor on stand-by and a fully equipped medical station in the room. Red was out of the woods, but better be safe than sorry.  
As soon as he got settled and the nurse had left the room, Liz sat down next to him on his bed.  
“How are you feeling?” she asked and took his hand in hers.  
“Like I’ve been run over by a truck.” Red tried to joke, but it didn’t work. She had to fight to hold back tears, feeling the need to be strong for him. Holding his hand suddenly didn’t feel enough anymore so she very carefully lay down beside him and snuggled into his side.  
“I was so scared; I thought I’d lost you.” Liz admitted.  
“But you didn’t. I’m still here. It’s going to take more than a bullet to get rid of me.” Red kissed the top of her head and let his lips linger there. He realized too that it had been a close call.  
“It’s always going to be like this, isn’t it? This is your life… full of danger, threats… I don’t know if I can handle that.”  
An unbearable feeling settled in his stomach. She was going to leave him. In some way he didn’t blame her; she should run as fast and as far away from him as she could, but the thought alone made his heart ache. He had only ever wanted to protect her, but he had failed miserably and now there were whole other factors that played a role. He loved her, more than life itself and he couldn’t stand the thought of losing her; of not being able to protect her anymore if she left.  
“I’m sorry.” The only words he could think of saying.  
Liz looked up into his eyes, “Let’s disappear.”  
Red frowned and slightly shook his head.  
“I know you can make it happen. Let’s just leave. Leave everyone and everything behind… Let’s disappear!” The confidence in her eyes and the words she was saying caught him off guard. She was actually willing to leave her life behind and start afresh with him. She loved him that much…  
“Do you realize what you are saying?”  
Liz pushed up on her elbow and placed a hand over his heart. “Yes!” To enforce her determination, she leaned in and kissed him. “You are all I want, all I need.” She breathed warmth against his lips, and then kissed him again.  
Liz pulled back and looked into his eyes, waiting for his answer. Red knew it was possible, he had that power. He had the money, the resources and the contacts to make it happen. All doubts still in his mind seemed to melt away, like snow under the sun, the longer he looked at the most beautiful woman in his world.  
“Alright.”

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**2 years later**

Looking down into her beautiful blue eyes, Red felt like he could drown in them. The way she so lovingly looked back at him, loving him unconditionally, made his head spin. His love for her, equally unconditional, ran through him like the elixir of life itself. She made him feel young again, ready to deal with anything thrown at him. He knew none of that was necessary anymore.  
The creaking of the hardwood floor startled them both and Red looked up to see who dared to intrude.  
“You two are so cute together.” said Liz and leaned on the back of the chair, looking over his shoulder at their three-month-old daughter. The little girl’s eyes shone even brighter at seeing her mother and she started fussing. “I swear she sees me as a feeding machine.” She reached down and touched the girl’s nose.  
Red smiled at his daughter, kissed that same tiny nose and rose from the chair to make room for Liz to feed the baby. “There you go.” He placed the girl into her mother’s arms and in the mean time, stole a kiss. “I love you.”  
“I love you too.” Liz answered, and then winced when Agnes latched on.  
“What do you say if, when you are finished feeding Agnes, we put her down for a, hopefully, long sleep and go watch the stars? They promised a clear sky and the possibility of shooting stars.” Asked Red with a twinkle in his eye.  
“I can’t promise you I’ll stay awake to see it.” Liz yawned.  
“As long as you are near me, I’ll enjoy watching for the both of us.” He kissed the top of her head and left the room to let Liz feed in peace.

Red prepared some light late-night snacks, poured himself a nice glass of Merlot and made some fresh mint tea for Lizzie. Balancing the tray like a pro, he walked out onto the back porch, arranged everything on the table in between the lounge chairs and lit up the torches for some romantic light. Just as he sat down, glass in hand; Liz strolled out onto the deck.  
“Out like a light.” She smiled tiredly and showed him the baby monitor.  
“Come sit with me.” Red gestured to the chair and steaming mug. Instead of taking the empty chair, Liz sat down on his lap, threw her arms around his neck and kissed him. Slowly, passionately, they explored with hands and tongues. Liz broke the kiss and took his glass to set it aside. She then repositioned herself to straddle him, before resuming the kissing part.  
Red knew she knew exactly what she was doing to him and enjoyed every part of it. “I thought you were tired?” he asked in between kisses.  
“I thought you were going to watch the stars?” she answered his question with a question.  
“Oh, I’ll be seeing stars very soon if you keep doing this.” He warned as she ground herself onto his already hardening member.  
“And I won’t be falling asleep either.” She wiggled her eyebrows teasingly.

Neither of them did what they had said before. They made sweet, hot love, right there on the back porch under the light of the stars. Sleep and shooting stars long forgotten, enjoying every part of their lives; together and all alone, just the three of them.

**The End**

**Redilicious Feb 2017**

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to my beta!!! You know who you are ;-)  
> Hugs


End file.
